For fire



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

THEODORE HYATT, OF NEW YORK, N, Y.

IMPROVEMENT TN COMBINATION ASBESTU'S FILLING- IOR FIRE- PROOP SAIES ANDOTHER STRUCTURES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 101,268, dated March29, 1,870.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE HYATT, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Proof Safes and other Structures, of which the following is aspecification: I

My invention relates to the production of a new combination of'asbestus, with liquid or semi-liquid vaporror steam-generatingmaterials, for filling the chambers or spaces, and the cans, tubes, orvessels used in such chambers, between the interior and exterior wallsor shells of fire-proof safes and otherv structures, and doors for thesame, when constructed for the purpose of preserving books, papers,bank-bills, coin, gold and silver were, from injury or destruction byfire.

Asbestus has been noted from the earliest ages for its properties as anon-conductor of heat and incombustibility, being used principally forpurposes of cremation by the higher ranks of the ancient Greeks andRomans; but its wonderful powers of capillary attraction seems to haveescaped the observation of the world down to the present time, or atleast never to have been reduced to any practical utility of value.

My researches and experiments in regard to this remarkable mineralresulted in discovering that it will drink up or absorb three times itsown weight of water, which can then be sol idified or set by mixing withit plaster-of-paris equal in weight to that of one-third of the asbestusused,-and this combination is accom-' plished without increasing itsvolume or bulk in the least degree.

I alsodiscovered that owing to the fibrous nature of asbestus it isenabled to perform a .most important function in the composition orfilling for. fire-proof safes and other structures, when combined withany earth or earths, such as plaster-of-paris, Rosendale cement,marbledust, or pipe-clay, by acting as a bond or 11gament to unite andbind such earths together in one interlaced mass, upholding and sup-.

porting it at all times, thus preventing any shrinkagej or settlingaway: of the fire-proof composition from the-walls of the safe during Ia conflagration, so that, although every atom of water is expelled byheat, the walls of asbestus and earth still retain their full form anddimensions, not permitting the existence of any vacant or empty spacewithin the cans or walls of the safe for the heat to penetrate across,to attack and destroy the book-case and its contents.

As an illustration of the above, I took one hundred and thirty-fivegrams of water, which completely filled a box two by three inches andone and a half inch deep. This water being turned into a bowl andforty-five grams of ground asbestus mixed with it, the water wasabsorbed, to solidify which fifteen grams of plaster-of-paris wereincorporated with the mass, that in ten minutes began to set, when thewhole was refilled into the same box, thus presenting the singularspectacle of a box that "was entirely filled by one hundred andthirtyfive grams of water, an incompressible element, now containing onehundred and ninety-five grams, or nearly one-half more than its totalcapacity. These results are vastly different from, superior to, and notattainable by the combination of asbestos, earths, and chemical saltsholding water of crystallization, as secured to me by patent of March 8,1870, N 0. 100,632.

The above mass of fire-proof composition was placed in a stove-oven,remaining there until all the water was expelled by heat. When takenout, it was found to retain perfectlyits full form and size, and weighedprecisely sixty grams, the exact equivalent of' asbestus and plasterused, thus demonstrating that the whole one hundred aud'thirty-fivegrams of water existed in a free condition, ready to be given ofl' inthe form of steam when called upon by fire.

These satisfactory results convinced me of the peculiar and surprisingadaptability of asbestus, when combined with other suitable materials,for the purpose of rendering safes and other structures fire-proof.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention applies tomake use of said invention, I will now describe the composition and useof the same-in several forms as employed by me in practice, firstdescribing the materials used and how combined.

First, I take asbestusofany suitable form or condition, as slabs,blocks, .ground or crushed, and wet it to any desirable extent with anysteam-producing materials, as water, or solutions of .glycerine,gelatine, or mucilage; but in all cases I prefer pure water alone. T a

Second, I take asbestus combined with any earth or earths, as Ros'endalecement, plasterof-paris,pipe-c1ay, or marble-dust, in the proportions oftwo pounds of asbestus to one pound of earth, (of which earths I preferplas-' ter-of-paris,) and wet them sufliciently with water or any of thesteam-producin g materials heretofore mentioned.

Third, I combine asbestus with any chemical salt or salts containingwater of crystallizatio'n, in proportions of three pounds ofasbesms totwo pounds of the salts, of which salts I prefer Glaubers salts.

Fourth, -I take asbestus combined with any earth or earths, and anychemical-salt or salts containing water of crystallization, as alum,sal-soda, borax, Epsom and ,Gla'ubers salts, (which last-named one Iprefer to us'e,) in the proportions of one pound of Glanbers salt to onepound of plastenof-paris and one pound of asbestos, to be used iufdrycondition, or, if preferred, wet with proper amount of water or any ofthe steam producing solutions described heretofore. I y

In the above fire-proof compounds I do not confine myself to thepreciseproportions of asbestus and earth or earths and chemical salt orsalts, as stated, as they may be varied to any extent found mosteifective in practice.

Having described the materials and their proportions, as combined andused in my new fire-proof composition for safes and other.

structures, I will now describe several meth-' ods adopted in applyingthe same to filling safes, bank-vaults, and other structures and doorsfor the same.. P I I First, I construct a safe with inner and outershells 01 walls of metal, or the inside one Of wood, and form'ing theframe-work of the hook-case, leaving about s'ixin'ches" between thewalls in all directions, which constitutes the fire-proof chambers ofthe safe. The joints and surfaces of said walls, looking into thefire-proof chambers, are first well covered with one or more coats ofparafline or any ma erials impervious toiwa'ter, to prevent oxidation ofterials, such as water, or solutionsof glycerinc, gelatine, or mucilage,and used as a flll- .ing for fire-proof safes constructed in either themetal and 'transmissionof moisture from the fire-proof composition intothe book-case todampen and mold its contents. This being done, either ofthe heretofore-described com- 5 v i as a filling for the cans, tubes, orvessels used in said safes.

pounds of asbestosis then filled in closely between the walls until nopart is left vacant,

the door also being filled in the safne manner, 3

f any'suitable earth or earths and liquids, semi liquids, or solutions,as ahove mentioned, and used as afilling for fire-proof safes, when whenthe safe is finished, and the remaining joints sealed npwith somewater-proof mate rials, to prevent evaporation. v

- substances, or asbestus alone.

' Letters Patent, is 1 six inches apart, to receive the fire-proof com--position, its shape being exactly like the external shell, sothat, whenin position, it just fills the place. This makes the construction inefle'ct two safes,,one within the other, the interior one being filledcompactly with either of the above-described compounds of asbestus.

The inner safe may be made somewhat smaller than the outer one, and theintervening space filled with an slow conductor of heat, like ,asbestus,plaster-of-paris, or either of the nonheat-condueting compoundsdescribed in my patents of December 28,1869, No.98,381, and

- March 8, 1870, No. 100,632..

Third, I construct safes of iron, having inner and outer shells aboutsix inches apart,

the intervening space being occupied by cans or vessels made ofgutta-percha, india-rubber, copper, or other non-oxidizable material,and of such size and form as to fit, respectively, the

tom-bottom, and each side of the safe; or

these vessels may be divided into a series of smaller ones, in shapelike bricks or long flat tubes, which are filled with either of theheretofore-described asbestu's compounds, and hermetically sealed;

Fourth, I construct safes of iron with inner and outer walls or shellsabout six inches apart, a portion of which space, usually 0ne-- half, Ioccupy with cans, tubes, or vessels placed in suitable positions, andfilled with" either of the heretofore-described asbestus.

compounds, while the remaining and unoccupied space between such vesseland wall or walls is filled with any earth or earths, alone or combinedwith any chemical salt or salts holding'water of crystallization, asheretofore mentioned, or occupied by other cans'or ves-' sels containingwater or other steam-producing 1. The use of asbestus in any suitableform "or condition, when co'mbined with any liquid or semi-liquid vaporor steam-generating maof the modes heretofore described, and also 2. Theuse ofasbestus, when combined with constructed in either of the modesheretofore set forth, and also as a-filling for the cans,-

tubes, or-vessels used in said safes.

3.' The" use of either of the foregoing-described combinations ofasbestus, or of asbes- .tus alone, when used as a filling or lining fordouble-shelled closets or book-cases of fire- :"proof afes.

I 4. The use of asbestus as anabsorbent of

